What a week we have had at Cedar Village!  If you are someone who likes to look through our photos, you are in for a treat-we have lots and lots to choose from today! 

Of course, we began with Battle of the Bands on Sunday evening.  Close to 200 people spent the evening with us, listening to three great bands, having some great food, visiting with one another and, of course, having some fun on the dance floor.  It was a great event and we all heard a lot of rave reviews!  Someone asked me why Cedar Village would do an event like this one. The answer is that it's a chance for us to connect with folks who might not be familiar with Cedar Village.  We're not "selling" anything, just raising awareness and visibility for Cedar Village while raising some funds for enrichment programs for residents.  If you were with us for Battle, we thank you for your participation.  And if you were not, plan on our 2012 event.  You won't want to miss it!

On Wednesday evening, we had one of our favorite times of every month-celebrating ourResidents of the Month.  We, as always, heard some inspiring stories of our resident's lives, learned more about their histories and their families and delighted in their words of wisdom.  We love seeing the honorees proudly sporting their boutonnieres and we love seeing the families together, celebrating and taking pictures.

Thursday's highlight was the reception and dinner for participants in OMA (Opening Minds through Art). This remarkable program, done in collaboration with the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, uses creative expression as a tool to help "unlock" the abilities of individuals with dementia, allowing them to make choices and express themselves.  The new OMA show has been hung in the Art Gallery hallway and is well worth a visit to Cedar Village.  Last night we had dinner with OMA participants and their families as well as the volunteers who staff the program.  It was so heartwarming to see the connection between the volunteers and the OMA participants and the joy they both took in the artwork that was produced.

We've had the privilege of having Teepa Snow here again this week.  Teepa is a nationally known consultant on dementia and she has been working with our staff to improve our knowledge and skills in caring for individuals with dementia.  We have made a commitment to Dementia Care Specialist training, which has four levels of achievement, and have successfully certified all of our staff in Level I and many of them have achieved, or are close to achieving Level II. Teepa brings a level of expertise and energy to both our staff and residents.  Not only does she educate, she also works directly with residents, helping to model techniques that can be more effective.  Our goal is to provide optimal care and Teepa's input is helping us towards that goal.

All the best,